Code Generation

src/codegen.rs is the Cranelift code generation path. The direct native path is described in Native Code Generation.

Cranelift handles:

• Instruction selection
• Register allocation
• Machine code generation
• Target-specific code generation
• Object-file generation

The Cranelift path is:

flowchart LR
    A(Sydrogen source) --> B(pest)
    B --> C(AST)
    C --> D(Module resolution)
    D --> E(Semantic analysis)
    E --> F(Cranelift)
    F --> G(Native object code)
    G --> H(System linker)
    H --> I(Executable)

Supported Constructs

Currently supported Cranelift code generation includes the subset of the language that can be lowered to an object file, such as:

• variables and assignments
• primitive arithmetic
• loops and conditionals
• native calls to user-defined functions
• collection access for supported layouts

Unsupported and Planned Constructs

The backend does not currently generate executable code for:

• Data declarations
• object instantiation
• full lexical scope handling

Parsed constructs that are not listed above may still be rejected during semantic analysis or code generation. Programs that use the direct x86-64 path do not pass through this chapter's Cranelift path.

Module imports are not a backend construct: Furnace resolves them before semantic analysis, and Cranelift receives ordinary uniquely named declarations and calls.

See Current Limitations for the full status matrix.

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